¿Cómo estás tú, how are you?

Hola a todos!

How's everyone doing out there?

I've been living in Spain for about two months now and I can honestly say I haven't been bored once.  As of now, I assist teachers for 12 classes, teach six of my own classes and have two private lessons every week.  The ages range from six to seven for the classes in Miguel Hernández, six to eleven in my own classes and fourteen to sixteen for the lessons.  The kids are great!  I have 35 students of my own and over 80 other students in the classes I assist at Miguel Hernández.  It's interesting working with such a wide range of ages, from the kids to the teachers I assist, because you get a distinct perspective from each individual.  Everyone at the school has been extremely helpful and welcoming.

A few weekends ago, Maite, the head of studies at Miguel Hernández, invited me to go to El Campello, Alicante with her and her family.  I excitedly said "I'd love to!"  It is just over an hour drive from Jumilla and it is a gorgeous area right on the Mediterranean Sea.  I was able to try Paella with seafood, a typical valencian dish, for the first time and I loved it.  We of course ate much more amazing food and were quite stuffed by the end of the meal.  We decided to take a stroll on the beach after eating and it was about 75, sunny and beautiful in NOVEMBER!  Below is a view of the city of El Campello in the background.

 

At the beginning of November, Jumilla hosted its fifth annual week of gastronomy!  What does this mean?  In Lehman's terms it means we ate amazing food and drank great wine.  About 20 bars in Jumilla participated and all served tapas and wine for a two-euro package.  If you're curious what tapas are, click here.  We typically ate way more tapas than we drank wine, so it was always very inexpensive.  Also another teacher, Pepe, invited me to "tapear" with him, his wife and friends and of course I said yes.  We ate at a Restaurante San Agustín and it was incredible.  I love going out to eat with locals because they know what's good and here they usually know the owner!  Also the language practice is pricelss and everytime it is a great experience!


Since I have been in Jumilla I have met some incredible people and made some great friends.  I have also changed flats and moved closer to the center of Jumilla. There is an extra bedroom with an extra mattress as well!  The apartment  has heat, I have my own bathroom in my bedroom and a view from my bedroom patio door of the Castle that boasts more than 2,000 years of History!  When you arrive in Jumilla the castle overlooks the entire city and at night the scene is especially dramatic.  Below is a photo of the old city entrance and the castle in the background.  This is the entrance to all the old houses in Jumilla and strolling around that neighborhood gives you an interesting perspective on housing.  It's also a great workout taking a hike through that neighborhood and up to the castle because all of the roads are quite steep and narrow, like you think of San Francisco, CA.

Please feel free to comment.